Field Hockey split their two games of the week at So Sweet a Cat Field after defeating University of Pennsylvania by a score of 4-2 on Friday and losing to Rutgers 1-2 on Sunday.
After a scoreless first quarter against Penn, the Hawks fell into a 2-0 early hole in the 2nd quarter but did not allow another goal the rest of the way.
Monmouth scored their first goal in the 23rd minute when freshman forward Yasmin Pratt found the back of the net for her fifth goal of the season to cut the deficit in half.
The blue and white tied the game up in the 39th minute when sophomore forward Annick van Lange netted her first goal of the game to even up the score at 2-2. Assisting on van Lange’s goal were junior midfielder Meg de Lange and junior defender Hannah Schiavo.
In the 52nd minute van Lange scored her second goal of the contest to give the Hawks their first lead of the game. The Hawks defense was put to the test in the final minutes of the matchup.
The Quakers were on the attack on the last legs of the game as they pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. A resilient Monmouth defense was able to hold their one goal lead and blocked away three shots from Penn. Monmouth also got the ball out of their own zone and van Lange was able to score to complete the hat trick as well as seal the game in the final minute of Friday’s contest.
“It was fantastic to see our team have the resiliency on the defensive side and to also continue to be strong on the attacking side,” said Head Coach Carli Figlio.
The Hawks were able to climb out of a 2-0 deficit and remain strong on the defensive side as the game was coming to an end to come up with the win, which is Figlio’s 130th of her career.
Van Lange notched her second career hat trick and her third multi-goal game. De Lange and Schiavo’s assists were their first of the season. The Hawks also made the most of their chances as 16 out of their ten shots were on goal.
“Moving forward for Sunday, we still need to clean up things defensively, but I am excited to see where we are going,” said Figlio.
The Hawks followed Friday’s victory against Penn with a losing effort against 21st ranked Rutgers on Sunday. This loss snapped a 30-game winning streak at home which was the best such streak in the nation.
Rutgers got out to an early lead as a corner was deflected in for a goal in the 14th minute. The Hawks responded by netting a goal of their own in the 21st minute. Junior midfielder Ireen Frenken was responsible for tying up the game.
The Scarlet Knights would then retake the lead with 5:51 off the clock in the second half which would be enough for them to come away with the win on the road.
Despite losing, the blue and white put up a valiant effort against their Big Ten opponent as they were able to stay in the game until the final whistle.
“I thought it was our best game to date,” said Figlio. “I think the team really took to heart what we focused on coming into today. I think refocusing for next week having Drexel and William and Mary coming in will be a great opportunity for us to reload and progress forward.”
Sunday’s contest was a very even matchup as neither team dominated in any statistical category. Rutgers put up eight shots while Monmouth only put up one less. Both teams also notched four shots on goal. After Sunday’s loss the Hawks are now 4-2 all-time against Rutgers and 4-2 on the season.
Monmouth looks to finish off the homestand on a strong note this week with a game on Friday at 3:00 p.m. against Drexel and a matchup with William and Mary at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.
Both games coverage can be streamed live on ESPN3.
PHOTO TAKEN by Carly Sell
